[Andy Saunders]

Mark

Thank you for that, which is all interesting stuff indeed.

I think the content of the Cas Files varies enormously. Sometimes the detail is scant, othertimes it contains a great deal of data - including in the cases of "missing" casualties for example. There will very often be reports on efforts to trace the casulaty post war, MREU report notes, correspondence etc etc. Either way, the content of many such files will surely be an invaluable and unique resource. Clearly, from your viewpoint, you are interested in just the one casualty with a close family link but the bigger picture for researchers and historians is significant, I feel.

As you may know, certain colonial air force casualty records are in the public domain and even available on-line. In contrast, we have a situation here where the AHB are now reluctant (or plain refuse) to supply names of casualties in some situations even although those names, generally, are in the public domain in such resources as squadron ORB's at TNA Kew. In many respects it appears the FOI Act is a two-edged sword with official government departments using it as a weapon not to release information rather than it being a vehicle for information to be released to the public. Well....thats my take on things, anyway!